University of Tennessee Athletics
Friday, October 16
Fayetteville, Ark.
8 p.m. ET
University of Tennessee
at
Arkansas
Weekend Preview: #9 Lady Vols Prepare for SEC Road Test Against Arkansas and Oklahoma
October 15, 2026 | Volleyball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Conference play continues for the No. 9 Tennessee volleyball team as it hits the road for a pair of matches against Arkansas and Oklahoma. First, the Lady Vols matchup against Arkansas at Barnhill Arena at 8 p.m. ET, before ending the road trip at Oklahoma in McCasland Field House on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. Both matches will be streamed on SEC Network+.
This will be the 52nd meeting all-time between the Lady Vols and the Razorbacks, and Tennessee's first trip to Fayetteville since 2022. Both teams met last year in Food City Center, with the Lady Vols getting the win in three sets. Oklahoma and Tennessee will meet for the sixth time. The two programs met on the final day of the regular season last year, as UT would get the win in the four-set match.
Tennessee is coming off a home sweep against LSU. The duo of Kennedi Rogers and Jalyn Stout led the way offensively with 13 and 12 kills respectively, with Stout posting her second double-double of the season with a team-high 10 digs. Nia Hall and Chelsea Sutton followed with eight kills each, while Sutton recorded a team-best four blocks in the contest. Caroline Kerr filled up the stat sheet in the victory with 36 assists, six digs, four kills, three blocks and one ace.
Arkansas enters play after defeating Texas A&M for its first SEC win of the season. The victory was the first ranked win for the Razorbacks since 2023. Leading the team in kills is Parker Duncan with 193 and kills per set at 4.11. Kiki Remensperger has a team-leading 454 assists, and is second on the team with 135 digs. Remensperger enters the week at 9.46 assists per set, a total that ranks ninth in the SEC. One of the top block teams in the conference, Arkansas ranks second in both blocks (156.5) and blocks per set (2.65). Nine players have 10 or more blocks this season. The trio of Aleki Alexander (63 blocks), Layla Smith (55 blocks) and Romani Thurman (43 blocks) lead the charge at the net for Arkansas. Two players rank top ten in the conference in blocks per set, with Alexander at 1.21 and Smith at 1.15.
Oklahoma earned a pair of ranked wins last week, defeating both Texas and Texas A&M. It marked the first time the Sooners won consecutive matches over ranked opponents since 2009. Alaleh Tolliver leads the team in kills at 176, followed by Tekoa Barned (155) and Alyssa Flack (143). One of the top offenses nationally, Oklahoma ranks 13th in Division I in kills per set at 14.07. Avaya Maga leads the team with 629 assists, the second-most in the conference and is tied for the lead in Division I at 11.65 assists per set. Three players have 100-plus digs on the campaign, with Aniya Warren (130 digs), Kinsley Singleton (110 digs) and Maga (107 digs) the top three on the team. Elise Hani leads the Oklahoma block defense with 38 this season. Oklahoma's attack has been one of the most efficient in the nation, ranking 20th in Division I and fourth in the SEC.
Last week a trio of Lady Vols were named to the AVCA Player of the Year Watch List. Caroline Kerr, Kennedi Rogers and Jalyn Stout were among the 16 players added to the watch list which features 46 of the nation's top players. For Kerr, this marks the third consecutive year she has been on the watch list, doing so in both 2024 & 2025. The award is given yearly to the nation's top player and will be announced on Dec. 18.
The Tennessee offense continues to be one of the top units in the country. UT ranks top 10 nationally in both kills per set and hitting percentage. The Lady Vols lead Division I in kills per set at 14.56, and rank sixth in hitting percentage at .295. In its previous eight seasons under Rackham Watt, UT has ranked in the top 20 nationally in either kills per set or hitting percentage in five seasons. Last season, Tennessee finished top 15 in both hitting percentage (.292, 10th) and kills per set (14.27, 11th). Rogers enters with a team-leading 4.55 kills per set, good for 12th in the nation and third in the SEC. Stout and Sutton both rank top ten in the conference in hitting percentage, with Stout in sixth at .358 and Sutton in seventh at .353.
The Big Orange defense has been key to the team's success. The Lady Vols are holding opposing offenses to a .177 hitting percentage and an 11.10 kills per set average. The team is averaging 13.42 digs per set and 2.55 blocks per set. That block per set total is the third-highest in the conference. Seven players have 15 or more blocks this season, led by Sutton at 54. Sutton enters play at 1.38 blocks per set, leading the SEC and ranking top 30 in Division I. The junior middle blocker has recorded five or more blocks in six matches. Raegan Burns leads the Lady Vols with 147 digs and 3.07 digs per set. Burns has led the team in digs in ten contests and has reached double-figures eight times.
This will be the 52nd meeting all-time between the Lady Vols and the Razorbacks, and Tennessee's first trip to Fayetteville since 2022. Both teams met last year in Food City Center, with the Lady Vols getting the win in three sets. Oklahoma and Tennessee will meet for the sixth time. The two programs met on the final day of the regular season last year, as UT would get the win in the four-set match.
Tennessee is coming off a home sweep against LSU. The duo of Kennedi Rogers and Jalyn Stout led the way offensively with 13 and 12 kills respectively, with Stout posting her second double-double of the season with a team-high 10 digs. Nia Hall and Chelsea Sutton followed with eight kills each, while Sutton recorded a team-best four blocks in the contest. Caroline Kerr filled up the stat sheet in the victory with 36 assists, six digs, four kills, three blocks and one ace.
Arkansas enters play after defeating Texas A&M for its first SEC win of the season. The victory was the first ranked win for the Razorbacks since 2023. Leading the team in kills is Parker Duncan with 193 and kills per set at 4.11. Kiki Remensperger has a team-leading 454 assists, and is second on the team with 135 digs. Remensperger enters the week at 9.46 assists per set, a total that ranks ninth in the SEC. One of the top block teams in the conference, Arkansas ranks second in both blocks (156.5) and blocks per set (2.65). Nine players have 10 or more blocks this season. The trio of Aleki Alexander (63 blocks), Layla Smith (55 blocks) and Romani Thurman (43 blocks) lead the charge at the net for Arkansas. Two players rank top ten in the conference in blocks per set, with Alexander at 1.21 and Smith at 1.15.
Oklahoma earned a pair of ranked wins last week, defeating both Texas and Texas A&M. It marked the first time the Sooners won consecutive matches over ranked opponents since 2009. Alaleh Tolliver leads the team in kills at 176, followed by Tekoa Barned (155) and Alyssa Flack (143). One of the top offenses nationally, Oklahoma ranks 13th in Division I in kills per set at 14.07. Avaya Maga leads the team with 629 assists, the second-most in the conference and is tied for the lead in Division I at 11.65 assists per set. Three players have 100-plus digs on the campaign, with Aniya Warren (130 digs), Kinsley Singleton (110 digs) and Maga (107 digs) the top three on the team. Elise Hani leads the Oklahoma block defense with 38 this season. Oklahoma's attack has been one of the most efficient in the nation, ranking 20th in Division I and fourth in the SEC.
Last week a trio of Lady Vols were named to the AVCA Player of the Year Watch List. Caroline Kerr, Kennedi Rogers and Jalyn Stout were among the 16 players added to the watch list which features 46 of the nation's top players. For Kerr, this marks the third consecutive year she has been on the watch list, doing so in both 2024 & 2025. The award is given yearly to the nation's top player and will be announced on Dec. 18.
The Tennessee offense continues to be one of the top units in the country. UT ranks top 10 nationally in both kills per set and hitting percentage. The Lady Vols lead Division I in kills per set at 14.56, and rank sixth in hitting percentage at .295. In its previous eight seasons under Rackham Watt, UT has ranked in the top 20 nationally in either kills per set or hitting percentage in five seasons. Last season, Tennessee finished top 15 in both hitting percentage (.292, 10th) and kills per set (14.27, 11th). Rogers enters with a team-leading 4.55 kills per set, good for 12th in the nation and third in the SEC. Stout and Sutton both rank top ten in the conference in hitting percentage, with Stout in sixth at .358 and Sutton in seventh at .353.
The Big Orange defense has been key to the team's success. The Lady Vols are holding opposing offenses to a .177 hitting percentage and an 11.10 kills per set average. The team is averaging 13.42 digs per set and 2.55 blocks per set. That block per set total is the third-highest in the conference. Seven players have 15 or more blocks this season, led by Sutton at 54. Sutton enters play at 1.38 blocks per set, leading the SEC and ranking top 30 in Division I. The junior middle blocker has recorded five or more blocks in six matches. Raegan Burns leads the Lady Vols with 147 digs and 3.07 digs per set. Burns has led the team in digs in ten contests and has reached double-figures eight times.
Players Mentioned
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